title: An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in Rwanda for voluntary depigmentation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Voluntary depigmentation, a very common practice in sub-Saharan Africa, often performed with pharmaceutical products diverted from their pharmacological use, may cause severe dermatological and systemic side effects. The present work aims at investigating whether and which herbs were used in Rwanda for similar purposes before the advent of the current depigmentation craze; this may give clues at herbal treatments possibly advantageous compared to current products.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-one traditional healers, mostly representatives of their associations, were surveyed by questionnaires for knowledge and practice of voluntary depigmentation. Recipes or plants used, plant parts, harvest area, preparation methods, dosage and route of administration were recorded. Most of the cited herbs were harvested with the help of traditional healers and identified by comparison with voucher specimens; herbal vouchers of the five most cited herbs were deposited in official herbaria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All surveyed traditional healers have knowledge of voluntary depigmentation; the population currently practicing do not recourse to their services but obtain bleaching products directly from the market. Traditional healers disclosed recipes prescribed or self-used (often by women) in their youth; others cited recipes are used to treat skin diseases with properties of "clarification", "black skin stain removal", in cases of hyperpigmentation, and/or "skin softening". Curiously, from the 28 recipes cited by traditional healers, all are mono-herbal preparations; most of the plants are mixed with butter for application to the skin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared to other pathophysiological conditions, there is currently a very limited use of herbal preparations for depigmentation. Five herbs had a citation percentage equal or above to 50%, Brillantaisia cicatricosa Lindau (Acanthaceae), Chenopodium ugandae (Aellen) Aellen (Chenopodiaceae), Dolichopentas longiflora Oliv. (Rubiaceae), Protea madiensis Oliv. (Proteaceae) and Sesamum angolense Welw. (Pedaliaceae); in vitro experiments indicated a modulation of melanogenesis by these plant extracts, confirming the information obtained from traditional healers.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie, de Bromatologie et de Nutrition Humaine, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Campus de la Plaine, CP205/9, Bd du Triomphe, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium; Programme de Recherche en Phytomédicaments et Sciences de la Vie, Institut de Recherche Scientifique et Technologique (IRST), BP 227 Butare, Rwanda. Electronic address: lkamagaj@ulb.ac.be.
authors.forename: Léocadie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kamagaju
authors.forename: Elias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bizuru
authors.forename: Védaste
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Minani
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morandini
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stévigny
authors.forename: Ghanen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ghanem
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Duez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019448:Ethnobotany; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D012432:Rwanda; D062327:Skin Lightening Preparations / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D062327:Skin Lightening Preparations
keywords: Botany; Cosmetics; Rwanda; Skin; Traditional medicine Africa; Voluntary depigmentation